HEAL: Floored at The Nest

No, seriously. Think about it. Think about carpet and tile and hardwood floors. Now think how a newly finished floor can make a house or office look terrific. The interior of the NEST looks even more terrific today thanks to some dedicated individuals who gave of their time and money to help make residents' lives feel a little more special.

Joe Eby, Ruidoso Village Councilor and owner of Straight Line Tile, and the owners and staff at Golden Yarn Flooring worked together to add new carpeting and tile to rooms in use by residents, both at a huge discount to the shelter.

Golden Yarn provided their service at cost while Eby and his crew worked at a 50 percent discount.

"They offer a valuable service to the community here and we were trying to give them some products that would work well," said Leah Harris, store manager at Golden Yarn. "They have battered women and children in there, some bring their pets in. We wanted to give them products that were pet and child friendly."

"There's so many people coming in and out, we wanted to put something in there with good warranties that would last," added Josh Nowell, who recently bought the business with partners Steve McClain and Phil Matthies.

Both Eby and Golden Yarn have a history of helping the NEST with building and construction service. Eby re-did the floor in the front room and handicap-accessible bedrooms about three years ago, and always jumps at the chance to help the NEST.

"They offer a great service for women, their children and also pets when they've been involved in domestic violence," Eby said. "I do what I can when I see an opportunity to help those groups."

Eby, who has been on the council a little more than three years, works hard as an individual to provide, as there are restrictions on what governments can do.

"I gave them a discount, because that was something immediate I could do," Eby said. "It's been enlightening to see what it takes to run the village. They have a very good staff and administration, working hard to keep the village running and save the village money."

Saving money for projects like this is what Eby and Golden Yarn were all about when they did their work. McClain sees it as a natural for businesses to take on these kinds of projects.

"We believe that any non profit we help — it's good for them, it's good for the community and the word of mouth is good for our business," McClain said. "They'll realize we're here for the community, not just for ourselves. We all have to pitch in and make our community better, offering discounts like this to non-profits. That's how we give back."

Coleen Widell is executive director of the NEST domestic violence shelter in Lincoln County. For more information, call 575-378-6378.